About Me

The Rev Andries Combrink is a Presbyterian Minister of the Gospel. He lives in Centurion, South Africa. He is amongst others a blogger and lyrics writer. To teach the Word of God is his calling, based on the Reformed tradition.

Search

Latest Entries

We are called to display God’s glory and show his light that shines out of darkness. (2 Cor 4: 6). But how can we worship and proclaim Christ in a world that is alienated from God and his people? Especially when we understand how weak we are in the face of life’s many challenges.

2 Corinthians 7 – 9 “But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.”

oThe apostle is thinking of our many imperfections. He refers to our weakness and helplessness in the presence of sin and temptation. (Rom 7:15,19)

oHe also looks to the weakness of our appearance, that we often are not impressive, battle to proclaim the light of God boldly and struggle with our insecurities. (2 Cor 10:1 & 10)

oWe also are jars of clay because of the decay of our bodies, of getting older, weaker and that we are slowly wasting away. (2 Cor 4:16).

We are only jars of clay, acknowledging our weakness and insignificance!

And yet, we have a treasure, even though it is stored in jars of clay!

We have the treasure of the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, the one and only and almighty Saviour of us and of the whole world.

It is this treasure, and not being weak jars of clay, that shows the all surpassing power of God in a world alienated from God and his people! Our weakness and insignificance shows off the all surpassing power of our God in the face of the many dangers and challenges before us.

Therefore,

We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed, since we show the power of God to all;

perplexed, but not in despair, since we show the power of God to all;

persecuted, but not abandoned, since we show the power of God to all;

struck down, but not destroyed, since we show the power of God to all.